Western Region: People power

Blacktown’s diversity offers enormous challenges to a changing church.

Recently Bishop Ivan Lee welcomed Michael Robinson as the new minister at Blacktown, which the Bishop sees as a very significant area for mission: “I don’t want to put too much pressure on Michael and the congregation, but Blacktown is a large city parish with a population of over 50,000 with 25 per cent born in non-English-speaking countries, and it is important that effective mission happens here,” he said.

“We have a creative and passionate minister leading a modern outward-looking congregation on a good site – so we have great potential. But Blacktown is an enormous challenge as well as an enormous opportunity.”

Michael says for the first two or three months he ‘did a lot of looking and listening’.

“I quickly discovered that this church has a strong desire to grow by reaching their community with the good news about Jesus.  I compiled a list of things that we needed to do. Top of the list was to freshen up our morning family-oriented service and the youth-oriented evening service with a more contemporary style, to make them more accessible to outsiders. We have seen both grow.”

He says another step was to work out the leadership structure for the church.

“There are many wonderful ministries happening, but they aren’t coordinated. A clear structure will help our ministries work more closely together.”

Michael says there is much enthusiastic ministry going on at the church through programs such as Alpha and strategic teams to work with men, women, children, young people and seniors.

“We are praying that our heavenly Father might glorify his Son by blessing us with growth in size and maturity.”

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